Sapience Investments LLC Cuts Holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC)

Sapience Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Hancock Whitney Co. (NASDAQ:HWC - Free Report) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 43,502 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,163 shares during the period. Sapience Investments LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Hancock Whitney worth $2,380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HWC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Hancock Whitney by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,097,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $552,539,000 after buying an additional 181,706 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hancock Whitney by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,898,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $102,557,000 after acquiring an additional 12,172 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hancock Whitney by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,321,280 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,300,000 after acquiring an additional 193,028 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Hancock Whitney by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,265,146 shares of the company's stock worth $69,229,000 after acquiring an additional 66,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Hancock Whitney by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,228,710 shares of the company's stock worth $67,235,000 after purchasing an additional 73,875 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HWC. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $70.00 price target (up previously from $68.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price objective (down from $72.00) on shares of Hancock Whitney in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens reduced their price target on Hancock Whitney from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Hancock Whitney from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Hancock Whitney from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.25.

Insider Transactions at Hancock Whitney

In related news, Director Christine L. Pickering sold 838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.09, for a total value of $40,299.42. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,983.71. This trade represents a 3.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hancock Whitney Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Hancock Whitney stock traded up $0.49 during trading on Thursday, reaching $55.03. 129,656 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 592,477. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.71 billion, a PE ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 1.05. Hancock Whitney Co. has a 1-year low of $43.60 and a 1-year high of $62.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $51.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $367.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.12 million. Hancock Whitney had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 11.56%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hancock Whitney Co. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hancock Whitney Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Hancock Whitney's dividend payout ratio is 33.21%.

About Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation operates as the financial holding company for Hancock Whitney Bank that provides traditional and online banking services to commercial, small business, and retail customers. It offers various transaction and savings deposit products consisting of brokered deposits, time deposits, and money market accounts; treasury management services, secured and unsecured loan products including revolving credit facilities, and letters of credit and similar financial guarantees; and trust and investment management services to retirement plans, corporations, and individuals, and investment advisory and brokerage products.